Two suspects in an alleged R15 million precious stones heist will return to court on 16 July for their bail application.

Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officer Adrian MacKenzie was arrested on Friday, with private security firm owner Etienne van der Walt handing himself to authorities on Sunday.

The pair appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday in connection with a 2023 raid on an apartment in Killarney, Johannesburg.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) deemed the raid to be unlawful, alleging that precious stones valued in the millions were stolen from the scene.

“The suspects are facing a charge of corruption because of their unlawful conduct in the alleged raid and seizure of precious stones,” stated Ipid spokesperson Lizzy Suping.

A witness before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry last month implicated suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi as the orchestrator of the raid.

The pair will be held at the Benoni police station until they return to court next week.

February 2023 raid

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) stated that the men are alleged to have stolen six boxes of sugilite and manganese stones, valued R14.9 million.

The NPA alleges that MacKenzie, Van der Walt and several others carried out an armed raid, where they threatened the occupant of the Killarney home with assault, before taking the stones.

“Together with another EMPD official and their civilian co-accused, [they] falsely represented themselves as members of a multi-disciplinary law enforcement team comprising EMPD and Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation officers investigating alleged lithium smuggling activities.

“They allegedly further misrepresented that they were authorised to conduct law enforcement operations within the Johannesburg area,” Gauteng NPA spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole stated.

The state asserts that the suspects had no such authority, highlighting the EMPD jurisdiction is limited to Ekurhuleni.

“The state alleges that the true purpose of the operation was to unlawfully deprive the complainant of the precious stones,” Mohlatlole concluded.